A L C

A L C

( 25 )

Of the above 5,9.745 of water, the oxygenis 47.256 and the hydrogen therefore is 6.449,which added to the 9.565, gives 15.814 forthe entire hydrogen.

As these results differed considerably fromthose of Lavoisier , M. de Saussure repeatedthe experiment with alcohol rectified by dis-tillation alone without addition; but after makingdue allowance for the preportion of water inthis lower alcohol (from Richter’s tables) thecomposition of the pure alcohol contained there-in, hardly differed from the former where thisalcohol alone was employed. Hence the com-parative accuracy of the experiments was proved,and also the important point was proved thatalcohol thus highly rectified by distillation twicefrom muriat of lime, does not sensibly approachto the nature of ether, as has been supposed.

The second mode of analysis was by deto-nating the vapour of this alcohol with oxygenin Volta’s tube by the electric spark. Thishowever wouldnot detonate without the mixtureof a little hydrogen. The fumes left after thedetonation had no smell of burning spirits.After ail calculations the composition of thealcohol from this experiment is :

Carbon . . . 42.82

Hydrogen. . . 15.82

Oxygen . . . 41.56

100.00

The third mode of analysis was by passingthe alcohol through a red-hot tube and ex-amining all the products, an operation of greatlength and very complicated. Several foreignsubstances were thus detected in the alcohol,such as potash, lime, silex and acetic acid, butin very minute quantity. The immediate pro-ducts of the whole process were a carburettedhydrogen gas, water, oil, charcoal and ashes.Of these the gas was in by far the greatestproportion, and was analyzed separately.

The composition of alcohol derived fromthis last process, agreed very nearly with thelast mentioned, it was :

Carbon .

. 43.65

Oxygen . . .

. 37.85

Hydrogen .

. 14.95

Nitrogen

. 3.51

Ashes . . .

. 0.04

100.00

This result however shews a small prepor-

t : on of nitrogen which escaped notice in theformer experiments.

Sulphuric Ether. This fluid was analyzedalso by M. Theod. de Saussure, both by trans-mission through a red-hot porcelain tube, andby the detonation of its elastic vapour. In theformer method the ether was entirely decom-posed and the immediate products were a large-quantity of oxycarburetted gas, amounting tonear nine tenths of the weight of the ether, someoil and some charcoal deposited in the tube.

The ultimate analysis of ether gave thefollowing results :

100 parts of ether contain

Carbon .... 59.

Oxygen . . . . 19

Hydrogen ... 22

100

Hence in equal weights ether contains muchmore carbon and hydrogen than alcohol, butless oxygen. The author endeavoured to as-certain what quantity of ether a determinateweight of alcohol would produce. By dis-tilling alcohol first with sulphuric acid andthen rectifying the residue by several alternatedistillations from a solution of potash and freshsulphuric acid, he obtained from 100 parts byweight of common spirit of wine, 25.25 partsof ether in the first process; 10.3 in thesecond; and 3.2 in the third, reckoning as partof the product the actual loss of weight during-each distillation, which is here considered asetherized vapour. The sum of these productsand losses of ether amounts to 38.75, whichis nearly half the weight of the pure alcoholcontained in the 100 parts of the commonspirit of wine. These experiments, like mostof the others made on these substances with aview of analysis, are confessedly only approx-imations to accuracy, being laborious and com-plicated.

Nitric Ether. An elaborate and importantseries of experiments on this and many otherethers has been performed by M. Thenard, cfrom the particulars' of which the followingdescription of its properties is deduced.

Nitric ether is a very inflammable, odorous,pungent liquid, somewhat lighter than alcohol,and soluble in this fluid in all proportions;almost insoluble in water, though when mixedwith it giving it the smell of rennet apples;decomposable by heat and forming nitrous andacetous acid; soluble in every gas, and with

c Mem. d’Arcucil, tom. 1.

VOL. III.

D